Matter, Energy, and Life
1. Even after a paper mill stopped dumping mercury into the Wabigoon-English River in Ontario over 20 years ago, mercury is still showing up in fish in dangerous concentrations because (pp. 45-46)
A. the food chain continues to concentrate mercury from the river sediments.
B. heavy metals are added through wind-borne transport of mercury from distant industrial facilities.
C. acid rain from distant fossil fuel burning causes naturally occurring mercury to leach out of rocks.
D. all of the above.
E. none of the above.
2. Which is highest on the scientific level of organization? (p. 46)
A. molecules
B. atoms
C. organisms
D. ecosystems
E. species
3. Water is a (p. 47)
A. electron.
B. proton.
C. compound.
D. isotope.
E. atom.
4. All of the following are examples of organic compounds EXCEPT (pp. 47-48)
A. water.
B. fatty acids.
C. oils.
D. carbohydrates.
E. nucleic acids.
5. Organisms are chemical factories that create ______ to fuel the reactions for their metabolism. (p. 48)
A. RNA
B. enzymes
C. DNA
D. cells
E. organelles
6. The conservation of matter refers to (p. 49)
A. part of the environmental movement in the late 20th century.
B. the number of joules required to move 1 kilogram 1 meter.
C. the fact that matter can never be destroyed, it can only be transformed.
D. the fact that matter can be destroyed, but should be conserved.
E. none of the above.
7. The concept of entropy, as stated in the second law of thermodynamics, has special importance for living systems because (p. 49)
A. living systems can circumvent the law.
B. given the fact of entropy, living systems need constant care and maintenance to keep their high levels of organization.
C. maintaining high degrees of order requires organisms to constantly find energy supplies.
D. A and C.
E. B and C.
8. We often hear that the sun is the source of most life. Why? (p. 50)
A. green plants capture part of it's energy and transform that energy into chemicals
B. it provides the warmth that organisms need for metabolic reactions to occur
C. it provides photosynthesis
D. B and C
E. A and B
9. The process of photosynthesis requires solar energy to (p. 51)
A. convert simple sugar and oxygen into water and carbon dioxide.
B. convert water and carbon dioxide into simple sugar and oxygen.
C. finish the process of cellular respiration.
D. all of the above.
E. none of the above.
10. Cellular respiration (p. 51)
A. splits carbon dioxide into carbon and oxygen.
B. combines carbon with oxygen to yield carbon dioxide.
C. splits a sugar molecule using oxygen to yield water, carbon dioxide, and energy that can be used by the cell for metabolic reactions.
D. captures energy from the sun.
E. all of the above.
11. The big difference between respiration and photosynthesis is that photosynthesis (p. 51)
A. captures energy and respiration releases energy.
B. releases energy and respiration captures energy.
C. occurs only when it is light and respiration occurs only at night.
D. releases carbon dioxide and respiration releases oxygen.
E. none of the above.
12. An ecosystem (p. 52)
A. is composed of a biological community and it's physical environment.
B. often times contains many different kinds of plants, animals, fungi, and microorganisms.
C. is never completely closed to outside influence.
D. A and B.
E. all of the above.
13. If you were a primary consumer in an ecosystem, you would (p. 54)
A. require oxygen and the solar energy captured by plants to produce your energy.
B. require carbon dioxide and water in order to produce your energy.
C. require the light of the sun to stimulate your chloroplasts.
D. all of the above.
E. none of the above.
14. If you were a detrivore, you would most likely require ________ to produce your energy. (pp. 54-55)
A. carbon dioxide and water
B. herbivores
C. lower trophic level organisms
D. litter, debris, and dung
E. none of the above
15. The shorter the food chain, the (pp. 55-56)
A. smaller the loss of usable energy.
B. fewer number of actual organisms are supported.
C. lower the net primary productivity.
D. the bigger the net primary productivity.
E. the greater the heat loss.
16. In an ecosystem, energy (p. 56)
A. recycles through the system.
B. flows in only one direction.
C. is used over and over again.
D. tends to be concentrated in the bodies of tertiary consumers.
E. all of the above.
17. In the carbon cycle, carbon can be stored for long periods of time in (p. 57)
A. sugar molecules.
B. carbon dioxide.
C. limestone deposits.
D. water.
E. none of the above.
18. Humans can profoundly alter the carbon cycle by (p. 57)
A. burning fossil fuels.
B. population growth.
C. deforestation.
D. B and C.
E. A and C.
19. Humans have profoundly altered the nitrogen cycle by (pp. 58-59)
A. using synthetic fertilizers.
B. burning fossil fuels.
C. draining wetlands.
D. cultivating nitrogen-fixing crops.
E. all of the above.
20. One effect of human alteration of the phosphorus cycle is (pp. 60-61)
A. stimulation of explosive growth of algae and photosynthetic bacteria.
B. almost total die off of algae and photosynthetic bacteria.
C. reduction in the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
D. increase in the percentage of sulfur dioxide.
E. none of the above.